MacEwan University's Creative Writing Community

Looking Ahead to March

With a new month around the corner, it’s time to highlight a few publishing deadlines that are fast approaching. As usual, the parameters are short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry based in Canada (sometimes, but not necessarily, restricted to Canadian citizens and residents.) Dollar values are in loonies. Click on the links for full and precise details.

Oh, and we’ll give one last reminder to polish off those real-life pieces for the CBC non-fiction contest. The deadline is just a few days away.

Specs: 5-10 pages (up to 2,500 words) of previously unpublished fiction; open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents under the age of 35 as of March 5; entrants themselves must be previously published in an literary magazine or anthology, but unpublished in book form (self-published books or chapbooks are okay)

Submission: Online, through Submittable

Fees: None

Compensation: $10,000 for the best work of short fiction; $2,500 each for two honourable mentions; mentorship opportunity for finalists

Specs: Poetry up to 250 characters or less, max. 10 lines including stanza breaks, and 10 words per line; has to be short enough to feature on posters on Edmonton transit vehicles; Residents of the Edmonton region only

Submission: By Twitter to #PoFestMoves; By Instagram by tagging @edmpoetryfest and #pofestmoves; By Facebook on the Edmonton Poetry Festival’s page; By email to Adriana@edmontonpoetryfestival.com

Specs: Fiction up to 10 pages; Poetry up to 5 pieces, max. 10 pages; art work also accepted; all submissions must relate to the chosen cover art for the issue (see website)

Submission: By email to nodmagazine@gmail.com; simultaneous okay

Fees: None

Compensation: Publication

March 28

The Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest

Specs: One previously unpublished personal essay of no word limit; Canadian citizens and permanent residents only; no identifying marks on the manuscript (that includes using pseudonyms in the submission if names might identify you; names can be reverted to original for publication)

Submission: Online through The New Quarterly website

Fees: $40

Compensation: $1000 for one personal essay and publication in The New Quarterly

Specs: The issue theme is “Found in Translation”; short fiction, CNF, poetry, screenplays, manga, interviews, photography, etc relating to this theme; no length specificed; all backgrounds can submit, but the focus is “on roots from across the Pacific, including East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian writers.”